HOW YOU HANDLE EMOTIONS, ACCORDING TO YOUR MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY TYPE

While everyone experiences emotions, not everyone processes them the same way. Some people are super-expressive and love embracing a whole range of feelings, while others sort of loathe dealing with the rollercoaster of life’s ups and downs. Still others struggle to even identify what they’re feeling.

How do you handle emotions? Your Myers-Briggs personality type can give a peek at your typical MO. Don’t know your four-letter type? Check out this abbreviated guide and be sure to take the official full Myers-Briggs test here.

INFP: You feel things strongly, but rarely tell others.

Most see you as carefree, upbeat and friendly, but that outward persona tends to shield a deep well of feeling. You have strong personal values, tend to have very emotional relationships, and have a great sense of empathy. That said, you don’t always share how you feel with others who could genuinely make you feel better when you’re low. You don’t have to share every fleeting feeling, but always remember your tight friends and fam exist to help shoulder big burdens and sort out your most confusing problems.

ENTJ: You don’t trust your feelings, and try not to base decisions on them.

You tend to make calculated, rational decisions. Emotions? Eh, you’d rather not let them sway you into rash or irrational choices. While you are one of the most logic-oriented types and tend to make smart decisions, don’t forget that emotions are part of the human experience. Sometimes, there really is no “right” choice from an objective standpoint. It’s what each person feels is right.

INFJ: You’re great at helping others understand how they feel, but can’t always figure out how you feel.

You’d give up a whole evening to help your friend deal with her relationship problems, or sit for hours with your sister so she can vent about your mom’s rules. However, while you know feelings are essential to building relationships and making good decisions, you’re typically better at intuiting others’ emotions than accessing your own. When you feel confused about a relationship or an impending decision, talking out your feelings with a close friend can help.

ENFP: You like to explore others’ feelings, but are prone to bottling yours up.

You love helping other people live life to the fullest, which includes connecting with deep conversations and meaningful experiences. Although you appear happy-go-lucky to others, you tend to bottle up your strongest feelings. Remember that if you don’t share how you feel or find an outlet, it may come out in an outburst at the worst time — like a heated argument with a friend, or a crying spell with your significant other when they didn’t know anything was wrong to begin with.

ISFJ: You internalize your feelings, romanticize a lot, but have trouble sharing your emotions.You’re the romantic of the MBTI! All you want to do is build strong friendships, support your fam, and have a quiet, healthy relationship with someone who totally gets you. You are totally comfortable talking about emotions with your pals, but you are super shy when it comes to telling others about your deepest wishes. Although it’s uncomfortable to put your feelings out there in a direct way, remember that if you never ask for what you want, you won’t get it.

ESTP: You are great at soothing others, but don’t like to dwell on your own feelings.

You are a social butterfly. You typically flit around every room, soothing fears and making others feel comfortable — and no one is even aware of it. When it comes to your own feelings? You’re a little more reluctant to explore ‘em, because you excel at “light” connections, but hate being vulnerable with people you care about. Especially when it comes to relationships and close friendships, don’t be afraid to connect on a deeper level, and push yourself to share some of your fears, worries or wishes.

ISTP: You think your emotions don’t affect you much, but they do.

You are pretty even-keeled, and don’t like to dwell on your emotions. Life just moves too quickly, and there’s no reason to sit and pout (in your opinion). While it’s totally cool to prioritize activities, work, school and hobbies over intense emotional experiences, it’s important to remember others can be profoundly affected by their moods. Also, be careful you’re not repressing feelings that leave you vulnerable; it’s OK to admit you want a romantic relationship, or to tell your best friend you love them. It doesn’t make you weak.

ESFJ: You wear your heart on your sleeve and try to do what’s best for others.

Connecting with others is important to you, and you typically do that by opening up about meaningful things like dating and relationships, your passions, your family and so on. You tooootally excel at heart-to-heart conversations! That said, you tend to operate in others’ emotional worlds a lot. You can spend so much time reading into others’ feelings that you lose sight of how you feel deep down. Take some time for yourself to really think it over, and experience your own emotions apart from others’.

INTJ: You experience intense emotions, and wish you had more control over how you feel.

You may have a reputation for being cold and calculating, but that’s far from the reality. You tend to hide your feelings under a layer of logic and reason, but that emotional current runs stronger than most people will ever know. Since your emotions make you feel vulnerable, you tend to reserve opening up about your problems and worries to just a few select people — but keep pushing yourself to share in those meaningful moments of connection more often.

ESFP: You let yourself feel your feelings — but quickly move on to the next great adventure.

You have powerful emotions that influence the experiences you want to have, so you love to join activities that allow you to connect with others. You fall hard in love and bond easily with friends, but you’re a doer first and foremost. When you experience a setback or heartbreak, you take a day or two to indulge a sour mood — but you are quick to move on and get back to your life. As long as you’re not breezing past a pattern of emotionally charged problems, without sorting out your role in creating them, your MO actually lends to moving forward instead of living in the past.

ISTJ: You’re a secret softie, even if very few people know that.

You’re pretty private about your feelings, but you’ve got a big heart deep down. You get nostalgic for fond memories with your family, you would do anything for your friends, and you’re a rock for your significant other. Sometimes, people think you’re a tough nut to crack. But your emotions do exist, even if you like to make decisions based on reason. You show your love and affection in action, not words, and that is perfectly OK. Look for the people who “get you” in that way, and you’ll be able to open up more and more.

You’re a quintessential feeler, highly empathetic, very observant, always trying to show others just how special they are. You also embrace the range of emotional experiences, and like to let them out artistically — whether it’s a handmade card for your bestie’s birthday, or a poem to help cope with a bad breakup. Since you’re shy, though, not everyone understands how sensitive you can be. Look for one or two friends who can also be a verbal outlet, or a shoulder to cry on in your low moments.

ENFJ: You live for the intensity of emotional experience, both yours and others.

Of all the types, you probably embrace emotion the most. You want to feel, widely and deeply. You look to create relationships, and get others to open up about their passions and lowest lows — as well as fully experience your own emotions, whether it’s excitement, sadness, love, or pain. Your biggest downfall is letting emotions get the best of you, prompting you to make knee-jerk decisions like cutting off a friend or breaking up with a partner after one fight. In heated moments, learn to pause, experience the feeling, think about what you want to do, and then act.

ENTP: You want to lift others’ spirits, but don’t pay a lot of attention to your own emotions.

You’re naturally a really good listener, and you like to help others sort through their problems by asking questions or lending a kind word. However, since you are constantly juggling a thousand things at once, you can easily run from emotions you’d rather not confront. If you repress your feelings, though, they will come out in the form of stress or poor life choices. All you really need is one good friend who will to help you get to the bottom of your true feelings. Call on them the next time you think you’re “totally cool” after a breakup, or “have no feelings” about an impending life change like college.

INTP: To you, emotions equal vulnerability — and that feels like weakness.

You are an incredible mind, INTP. You are able to understand complex theories and absorb knowledge like a sponge. However, emotions are something you haven’t quite figured out what to do with yet. Rational above all else, you always think the right choice is the reasonable choice. However, sometimes making a passionate choice about what partner to pursue or what college to attend can lead to the most rewarding outcomes. It’s OK to embrace what you feel, especially when those emotions just keep tugging at your heartstrings.

ESTJ: You keep your feelings to yourself, and see them as very personal.

It’s not that you’re unfeeling, but you consider emotions to be private experiences. Your friends will likely never know when you’re under the weather, under stress, or even over the moon. You’re just pleasant, no matter what! While it’s great that you want others to feel comfortable and have a good time instead of bring down the vibe with your mood, call up a friend if you’re feeling stressed or sad for more than a few days. See if you can’t do something fun to break you out of your blues — or have a good ol’ talk if that doesn’t seem to work.